Imagine a crowd gathering so dense that no one is able to see past the other. The sick, wounded, and diseased are all lined up to see this man called Jesus and experience his alleged miraculous power to heal. All but one. A paralytic man. Determined to no end, the men who loved him the most withdrew to the roof. Using what was assuredly a rather rickety set up, they lowered him to the very core of where the Saviour was operating. When Jesus saw this disease-ridden man, His response was unexpected to say the least:
“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
Interestingly, Jesus claims the one act of this man that led to his healing was simply his faith. He had a disease. He needed an experience of healing with a Saviour. He positioned himself in the middle of Jehovah. He was healed.
Jesus uses experiences similar to this throughout His ministry. More often than not though, in order for people to experience what He had to offer, they first had to fight through crowds, journey for miles, and always firstly put their faith in Him. For His people to believe any different would result in lifetimes of wandering and wondering whether a life lived in total health is possible. So why wonder any longer? The first step for change to happen in life begins with a step. Brides and grooms take steps toward each other on the wedding day. The sick take steps to heal their diseases. The wounds of heart must do the same thing. Often times these steps are the most difficult. However, the Lord is faithful to work in the lives of those who position themselves in his Presence.
In order for Jesus to come into the life of any marriage, the couple must be willing to position themselves in a way that opens up the possibility for the healing of Christ. Odds are that the paralytic was not in the most comfortable of positions as he was being lowered to Jesus. And odds are it will not be a comfortable transition for couples to begin to progress towards change, but how valuable the change.
Imagine what the life of Jesus, His followers, and the paralytic would have been like if they had not gone to great lengths to experience all Jesus had to offer. Similarly imagine what it would be like to continue allowing your marriage to live in a paralytic state.